Friday, June 22, 2012

Bangin' on a Budget

I know there are a lot of fashion blogs out there that teach you how to look good on a budget. Well there "budget" is usually still way more than a starving artist/burgeoning fashionista such as myself can afford. I have unique taste and I need unique clothes in order to express myself to the fullest. I often find that I hardly shop-who woulda thunk it- unless I have a gross excess of money but recently I had an epiphany. Why can't I shop ALL THE TIME?!?! That's when the idea hit me. If I spent $25 a week on clothes and accessories that could be completely affordable as well as fashion forward for my closet of reusable items. And then "Bangin' on a Budget" was birthed. Every week I'll provide the details of an outfit/items/accessories that I bought for $25. I'll tell you where I went, how much each item was and then how I incorporated it all into my own very unique wardrobe. If you're wondering about my fashion sense, my favorite fabrics are sequins, lace, spandex and jean. I love gold and Anything acid washed. I love bold colors and patterns but I try not to look like a bag of skittles. I dig Jeremy Scott Adidas, Nike dunks and Jeffrey Campbell heels. I only where labels on my feet. Every one else can go to hell. If I get some bangin' shoes on a budget-you'll definitely hear about it!

If you think your style might be similar to mine or you think it's time for a change and you're looking for some inspiration come on this ridiculously cheap journey with me and share how you get bangin' pieces for incredibly low prices. And just so you know, this won't be strictly thrift shops. Take my first outfit for example, I got this at Forever 21 in times square. The top was $15 and the skirt was $10. The skirt also comes in bright orange and lime green! Then I mixed and matched it with accessories from home! So fun and the pieces are so versatile. Ill also incorporate a few different looks with the same pieces so you can continuously reinvent your look without ever leaving your closet.

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BIO

Kalae Nouveau (formerly known as Kalae All Day) is a singer/songwriter/emcee. The Harlem native has over 100 New York shows under her belt, at venues such as SOB's, Crash Mansion (RIP), Sputnik (RIP), The Knitting Factory, Public Assembly, Highline Ballroom, Santos Party House, SouthPaw (RIP) and Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar. Opening for rappers Jean Grae, Talib Kweli, Keith Murray and CL Smooth, she has been making her presence felt on the music scene in NYC since 2008.

A natural performer, Kalae sang in the Children's Choir at the Harlem School of Arts at the tender age of four. She went on to be influenced and inspired by musical talents such as the great Jimi Hendrix. Kalae at times describes herself as 'neo-soul' or 'hip hop' but in reality she supersedes all genres, so it therefore made sense for her to create her own genre, one which truly defines who she is, Kalae Nouveau is; Afromatic-neo hippie-rockstar-soul music.

At an arresting 5'10" (6ft if you include her hair) Kalae brings the energy and presence of a vet to her stage show and leaves the crowd begging for more. Kalae first stepped on stage 4 years ago, performing original tracks to only 20 people with nothing but a smile, a habibi scarf and a guitar player. Since then Kalae has been called "One of the most notable female MCs in the New York circuit" by Above Ground Magazine. But she is much more than an "MC," she is an artist.

On March 17th 2010, Kalae released her first recorded project under "Kalae All Day," executively produced by chart topping artist, Princess Superstar, entitled "AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUSIK". The album includes guest appearances by, Homeboy Sandman, Mic Wilson (the rapper formerly known as Prezzure) and Rebel Starr to name a few. It has been compared to the likes of Mos Def's second project by Beyond Race Magazine; "The multi-eclectic approach of Kalae's album raises a similar question as Mos Def's sophomore solo, which challenges listeners' definition of what hip-hop is, by including sounds from some of hip-hop's mother genres." The music video for the first single, "O.G.LYRIKALBOOKBAGGER" featuring Homeboy Sandman, has been featured on many popular blogs such as, Okayplayer, Nahright and 2dopeboyz.

In 2009 Kalae became the only female singer to ever win the Brooklyn Bodega Show and Prove. The grand prize was the opportunity to perform on the main stage of the 2010 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival along side legends De La Soul, which was a huge honor for her. In August of 2010 she opened for Dead Prez, Cody ChesnuTT and Pharoahe Monch at The Highline Ballroom. In November of 2010 she received her first endorsement by the bag company Slappa and made a promotional video for the company using a mixture of recorded and live music that was released in Jan of 2011.

In 2011 Kalae released a Bossa Nova inspired EP with rapper and Spoken word artist SciryL Cooper. It was received very well and written up in the Revivalist section of OkayPlayer. Soon there after Kalae was chosen to be featured in an Artist Spotlight mini documentary sponsored by Kotex and aired on MTV for 6months. That same year she released a music video "20 Kit Kats 4 the Riff Raff" which was written up by Vibe.com who posed the question, "Is Kalae All Day the next female rap Superstar?"

In 2012 Kalae released "PassTimes & Crasslines" her highly anticipated first mixtape with tracks by MF Doom and Flying Lotus. She also appeared on the pop/rock duo Hank & Cupcakes debut album "Naked" on the official remix to "Aint No Love." That same year Kalae declared that "Artists evolve and so do names" and changed her name to Kalae Nouveau.

In 2013 Kalae was featured on "WomanUp" the Remix by pop singer Charlene Kaye.

Kalae Nouveau is currently working on Nou* music to better represent the artist she is. She encompasses many musical influences, spanning from Soul to Electronic to Hip Hop and her goal is to erase the line between mainstream and underground.